Amrita Rao shoots a music video for Kwality Walls

Shooting a music video for the endorsements seems to have become a trend with Bollywood actresses. Aishwarya did it for Lux. Then , Kareena did it for Head and Shoulders.

Now, it is the delicate doll of tinsel town, Amrita Rao, who will be seen in a music video for a commercial. It is believed that Amrita will be endorsing Kwality Walls and that Amrita Rao had recently shot at Mukesh Mills for the music video on this Sunday and Monday. The song has been sung by popular Pakistani band Jal which has not only sung for the video but will also be seen in video along with Amrita.

Amrita’s manager Uttam has also confirmed the news but didn’t reveal much about the same. Amrita is currently shooting for Shyam Benegal’s ‘Mahadev’. Her other films include ‘Shortcut’ with Shreyas Talpade and ‘Victory’ with newcomer Harman Baweja.

News Source : Bollywood-star

Hats and wigs’ birthday bash for Preity Zinta and Amrita Arora

Two beautiful Bollywood ladies share their birthdays on the same day- January 31. While Amrita Rao threw a theme party of ‘Wigs and Hats’ on Jnauary 30th night, she had Preity Zinta as her surprise guest. The two Aquarian girls even cut a cake together.

Says Preity, “Amrita is a really really sweet girl and she has been inviting me every year for us to celebrate our birthday together. This year I said I had to go. Besides it was a theme party…wigs and hats. And I love hats. I’m a very hat person. So I went in one of my favourite hats. Thank God I didn’t wear the big blonde wig as I was planning to because the whole industry was there. How would I’ve looked?”

Preity turns 33 this year and says that constant reference to her age by media irritates her. With her cricket deal finalized just a few days back, Preity was in a series of meetings on the eve of her birthday. However, on her birthday she relaxed at home watching a DVD, resting and sleeping.

News Source : Bollywood-Star

`I am a racial mutt`: Michelle Pfeiffer

Hollywood star Michelle Pfeiffer has credited her international legacy for her multi-faceted personality.

The 49-year-old actress, who claims that her ancestors originated from all over the world, has dubbed herself a "racial mutt."

"Racially, I`m a mutt. My father was Dutch, Irish and German, and my mother is Swiss and Swede - so many things I can`t keep track," Contactmusic quoted her, as saying.

"I have a real Irish temper. I`m very organised like the Germans, and I also have the thing that people say Swedes have - of looking like they`re keeping a secret. Have you ever heard of that? I`ve been accused of it," she added.

Meanwhile, the actress recently revealed that she had first tried to set her husband David E Kelley up with her sister when she first met him.

News Source : Samachar

I was an ugly duckling: Eva

Eva Longoria admitted to being the “ugly duckling” of her family, and having been bullied for her looks when she was young.

Even though Eva has turned out to be one of the most glamourous women with a number of rewarding deals with cosmetic companies, she obviously has not forgotten that her nickname while growing up was “ugly duckling”, reports a British newspaper.

Longoria, who recently married US basketball player Tony Parker, recounted how her nickname came to be. “I was the darkest in my family. I was the only one with black hair and the only one with dark skin. All my sisters were light blondes with hazel eyes. They used to call me ugly duckling,” a website quoted her as saying.

“I grew up without being beautiful. So I kind of relied on my personality and my character,” she added.“I kind of developed a skill not to depend on anything superficial because I didn’t have anything superficial to depend on,” she added.

News Source : Samachar

Shah Rukh, Kareena add glamour to Balaji awards nite

Bollywood badshah Shah Rukh Khan was there and so was Kareena Kapoor, looking gorgeous in a slinky red sari and backless blouse, with current boyfriend Saif Ali Khan in tow at Balaji Telefilm's gala television awards function here.

The Future Group Global Indian TV Honours event on Friday night at the Andheri Sports Complex, in northwest Mumbai, also had Lara Dutta, Suniel Shetty and Karan Johar adding to the Bollywood presence.

Shah Rukh came to the function not because he had begun his acting career on television. He came as a Bollywood superstar and proved it when he presented an inimitable act at the function.

Balaji honoured him for being the best anchor in the quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati Season 3.

Siddharth Basu, who put together the show for Star Plus, announced at the function that Shah Rukh would again host the show that is to be telecast soon.

While Lara Dutta came to perform at the show, Suneil Shetty conferred the Global India TV Honour to Karan Johar, whose chat show Koffee With Karan (Season 2) was adjudged as the Best Talk Show of 2007.

Karan and Ekta Kapoor, the owner of Balaji Telefilms Ltd, broke into an impromptu jig on the stage together. Later, both did a short spoof on Koffee With Karan when Ekta interviewed him.

"What will be the title if he ever made a serial on Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham with Shah Rukh Khan heading the cast?" Ekta asked. Karan replied: Kabhi Saas, Kabhi Devdas.

The next question: "If you roped in all the Khans of Bollywood for a serial, what title will you give to it? "Khan-Dan", Karan quipped.

Bollywood's star turnout was also the biggest at Ekta's show. Most of them were called up on stage to confer the honours, unlike in other television award functions where TV artistes hand over awards to one another.

The Bollywood touch added glamour to her show and made it all the more alluring.

Perhaps, the head honcho of Balaji Telefilms planned it that way. Otherwise why would she choose to confer an honour on Kareena Kapoor at a television function.

Kareena's tantalising presence in red sari and backless blouse as she sashayed to the stage to accept the award from Jeetendra and Raakesh Roshan fetched loud cheers. Boyfriend Saif Ali Khan was there among the audience cheering lustily.

News Source : Samachar

Is Esha upset?

Esha Deol did an item number in the movie Sunday, but the number wasn’t noticed by anyone.

The fact that the movie too was not noticed is another matter altogether, but even the sizzling number couldn’t find any takers. Many people feel that the song wasn’t publicised enough.

Wonder if Esha who had big hopes from the song is feeling upset about it. We won’t be surprised if she is!

News Source : Samachar

Even I’m surprised I’m at home, says Sourav

Instead of preparing for a one-day comeback at the Gabba (having been dropped in the last ODI, Jaipur), on Saturday, Sourav Ganguly was at home worrying about daughter Sana’s surgery next week.

There were, however, words of comfort. Not from one-time protege Yuvraj Singh, now the ODI and Twenty20 vice-captain, but Ricky Ponting.

“I am a little surprised to see Ganguly not in the squad... He’d played pretty well against us at home last year,” the Australian captain told the media in Brisbane, in the lead-up to the tri-series opener versus India.

That was in sharp contrast to what Yuvraj, unfit for over a fortnight — and in poor form in the weeks before that — had to say.

“In my opinion, this is the best one-day team in the country right now. It was this team which won the Twenty20 World Cup and is the team that will play in the future. Sourav and Rahul (Dravid) will be missed... They are top players, but we must look to the future as well...”

Yuvraj, in fact, endorsed the line taken by captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Sourav didn’t react to Yuvraj, but did have something to say about Ponting’s comment. “Well, Ponting’s not the only one surprised... Even I’m surprised I’m at home here and not at the Gabba,” he told The Telegraph.

The former captain, who had an excellent 2007, added: “Yes, Ponting has made me feel a little better, but I’d much rather have been with the boys, gearing up for a big tournament...”

Nobody should be condemned after one match, that too a Twenty20 face-off, but many are convinced that Sourav’s experience and the hugely successful partnership he has had with Sachin Tendulkar at the very top of the order would’ve served Team India well.

Moreover, the Australians are definitely happier when Sourav’s not around. For the record, he has a one-day average of 41.02 (11,363 runs from 311 appearances).

Dilip Vengsarkar and his colleagues ignored the hugely experienced Dravid as well, but even if he’d been selected for the ODIs, he would’ve been back home nursing a hairline fracture on his right middle finger.

Even though V.V.S. Laxman hasn’t played ODIs since December 2006, some feel that he could’ve been asked to stay on. After all, he’d been in superb form — 366 runs, average of 45.75 — in the fiercely contested Test series.

Laxman (younger than 35-year-olds Sourav and Dravid), however, hasn’t given up striving towards a one-day comeback.

News Source : Samachar

India will bounce back: Yuvraj

The drubbing in the Twenty20 against Australia notwithstanding, this is the best Indian one-day outfit and the young guns would fightback in the tri-series, vice-captain Yuvraj Singh asserted.

"The boys obviously have not got used to the wicket and conditions. It's a pressure situation but then you have to be mentally prepared. This is the best one-day team, these boys won the Twenty20 World Cup and they are again going to click," Yuvraj said ahead of tomorrow's tri-series opener against the hosts here.

"Frankly, it wasn't great deliveries which got our batsmen out. They played too many shots but I am sure they would learn from those mistakes and bounce back," said the middle order batsman, who is recovering from a knee injury and is doubtful tomorrow.

The dashing batsman admitted that the boys would miss seniors like Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid but felt that time has come for India to plan for the future.

"Sourav and Rahul are top players and they would be missed. But you have to look at the future." Yuvraj was also emphatic that his side wouldn't stop from being aggressive, even though it wouldn't be of physical or verbal kind.

"We believe in aggression but it's got to be a controlled one. Aggression doesn't mean that you start abusing opponents, begin staring at each other. It's all about body language and staying positive at all times," he said.

The Punjab left-hander pleaded for the young batsmen of the side and wanted fans and media to be patient with the team.

"I can tell from my personal experience that it's not possible to expect youngsters to perform consistently. They wouldn't be making big hundreds at number six. They will learn slowly and must be given time," Yuvraj said.

Dwelling on his poor form in the tour, Yuvraj put it down to having not spent enough time in the middle while sounding optimistic that he would be firing in the one-dayers.

"The practice game was rained off; I failed in two Tests and didn't spend enough time in the middle. It's been a failure in just two games and everyone is sounding as if I have had 10 or 15 bad games.

"There are no excuses, I didn't bat well but I can always have a good game and come back," he said.
Yuvraj warned his boys not to take Sri Lanka lightly.

"Australia is a very balanced side. If we have to do well, we have to also not miss the fact that Sri Lanka, the other team, is a World Cup finalist.

"They (Australia and Sri Lanka) are top teams and in order to beat them, we have to be consistently good in all three departments."

He said he was optimistic of playing in the second game of the tri-series. "I have to push myself and start playing as early as possible. I am confident of playing in couple of days," he said.

News Source : Samachar

Kidney scam kingpin had political link

In yet another pointer to the reach of the kidney transplant racket, Uttar Pradesh police has arrested a doctor in Rajasthan in this connection and said its kingpin Amit Kumar had political connections and invested in film-making.

Krishan Kumar Agrwal, anestheist in a private hospital in Alwar, was arrested from his house in the Rajasthan town on Friday night by a team of police from Moradabad, Senior Superintendent of Police Prem Prakash said today.

Agrawal told police that he helped Kumar perform more than 200 surgeries in the last two and half years for financial reasons.

He said he got Rs 20,000-30,000 per operation with Kumar whereas he was getting only Rs 700 in Alwar, Prakash said.

He said Dr Upendra, an associate of Kumar, told the police a Congress MP from Haryana had come to the rescue of Kumar when Income tax sleuths had recovered Rs six crore from his house in a raid, his co-accused Dr Upendra revealed during interrogation, SSP Prem Prakash said here on Saturday adding they were taking Upendra's statement seriously.

Police get vital information

During investigation carried out by Moradabad Police, Dr Upendra has disclosed key information.

''Upendra's statement is very important to us and we are taking it seriously,'' said Prem Prakash, SSP Moradabad.

He has told the police that prime accused of kidney trade, Amit Kumar has a nursing home in Nepal and used to stay in Anderson hotel.

Upendra disclosed that Amit has invested heavily in real estate.

Upendra told the police that one person with the name Younis bhai introduced Dr Amit to Chhota Shakeel. But, later relations soured between Younis bhai and Amit.

Dr Amit has also acted in few C-grade films like Khooni Raat and Aag, Upendra said.

Amit had also produced a film whose title begins with ''A'' and his brother Jeevan acted in it, the SSP said adding that police was also trying to ascertain his links with underworld don Chhota Shakeel.

Meanwhile, Upendra's police remand expires on Sunday and police are yet to move court to seek the remand of Agrawal.

News Source : Samachar

Another Internet cable damaged near Dubai; India is unaffected

After the snapping of two undersea cables off the Egyptian coast, another Internet cable, Falcon, owned by FLAG Telecom, has been damaged in the Middle East but Internet operations across India have remained unaffected.

Reliance Communications-owned FLAG Telecom reported the cut in the Falcon cable, 56 km away from Dubai in the segment between UAE and Oman, on Friday. However industry sources say the damage will not affect Internet services across India as the Falcon cable does not carry India-specific traffic. The company said it was arranging for restoration of circuits to customers covered under a pre-planned restoration service.

Fifty-Sixty per cent of the capacity was affected following the rupture on Wednesday night in the undersea cables, SEA-ME-WE 4 Cable (SMW-4) and FLAG Cable, which connect India to Western Europe, consequent to anchoring of ships near Alexandria. However, all Internet links in the country were restored on Friday after service providers shifted their traffic to an alternative route. It would take 10-12 days to repair the damaged cables and shift the traffic back to them.

The VSNL, Reliance and Bharti Airtel were in constant touch with Telecom Egypt to ensure speedy repairs, the Department of Telecom said after reviewing the situation.

According to the Federation of Indian Chamber Commerce and Industry (FICCI), operations of several firms in the country for offshore outsourcing are running as usual. A quick survey by the FICCI among members of the Indian IT and ITeS industry showed that a majority of the service providers felt no impact of the sudden disruption in the international undersea cables close to Egypt’s Alexandria coast.

Many of the companies, contacted by the FICCI, said there was no substantial loss as they were using a robust technology and put in place a redundancy plan that allowed them to pick up extra bandwidth from multiple service providers. While multiple routes of connection and tie-ups with multiple service providers saved the day for several companies, a few cases of severe work restriction were also reported.

News Source : Samachar

Sena defends Bachchan, says he is ambassador of country

Coming to the defence of film star Amitabh Bachchan under attack from breakaway Shiv Sena leader Raj Thackeray, Shiv sena on Saturday said the actor was the ambassador of whole country and hence his name should not be politicised.

Shiv Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut said "Bachchan was not just the ambassador of Uttar Pradesh or Maharashtra but that of the whole country and therefore one should not make a political issue out of him", Raut told PTI.

Raut was reacting to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray's outburst against Bachchan in which he accused him of being more loyal to his home state Uttar Pradesh than Maharashtra where he lives.

News Source : Samachar

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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday joined issue with Governor T.V. Rajeswar over Thursday’s suspension of two IAS officers and a Provincial Civil Service officer for writing messages in a book Sultanpur — Kal Aur Aaj (Sultanpur — Yesterday and Today).

Faizabad Divisional Commissioner L. Venkateshwarlu, Sultanpur District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar and the then Chief Development Officer of Sultanpur Ishtdev Prasad Rai were placed under suspension for writing messages in the book which eulogised the contribution of the Gandhi family and the Congress to the development of the district.

Pramod Kumar Singh, then Assistant Director, Information, was also placed under suspension.

The book has been authored by Srikant Srivastava, Regional Publicity Officer of the Government of India.

Mr. Rajeswar on Friday shot off a letter to the Chief Minister demanding an explanation on the causes that led to the suspensions.

At a press conference here, Ms. Mayawati made known her displeasure over the Governor “going to the press” to reveal the contents of his letter. She said she also decided to inform the press of her reply to him. The Chief Minister said in her letter that there would have been no misgivings had the Governor talked to her before sending his letter.

Defending the government’s decision, Ms. Mayawati said the suspended officers not only wrote messages but were also involved in the publication of the book.

Referring to the praise showered on her government in the amended version, Ms. Mayawati said it was also inappropriate for the officers to extol the contribution of the present regime.

She said the officers flouted conduct rules. The disciplinary action was not born of political considerations. She denied they were punished for the references made to the Gandhi family in the book.

News Source : Samachar

Five killed in US shopping centre

Five women have been shot dead at a shopping centre in the US city of Chicago, local police have said.

The incident happened at the Brookside Marketplace in the suburb of Tinley Park, police Sergeant T J Grady said.

Sgt Grady said officers found the victims inside a Lane Bryant clothing store shortly after receiving an emergency call at 1045 (1645 GMT).

A suspect in the shooting is reported to have fled the scene. Police have yet to establish a motive for the attack.

Witnesses said that following the incident police shut down nearby shops and searched the area with their guns drawn.

"Every store was immediately canvassed and a search by air, too, has given us every indication that the offender has left the scene," Sgt TJ Grady told reporters.

He said police were looking for a black man about 5ft 9 inches tall and weighing 230 to 260 pounds, dressed in a black waist-length winter coat, a black cap and black jeans.

The Lane Bryant shop was open at the time of the shootings, but Sgt Grady refused to say whether the women killed were customers or staff.

He said that the authorities are still trying to contact the victims' families.

However, Tinley Park Police Chief Mike O'Connell, did say that "the victims range in age from aged 22 to 37".

He said that all were residents of the suburban Chicago area, apart from one woman who was from South Bend, Indiana.

News Source : Samachar

Raj rage on Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan might be freezing in Shimla, but the heat is on the actor in Mumbai.

Bachchan has been caught in a political crossfire with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray accusing the star of taking more interest in home state Uttar Pradesh than Maharashtra, and the Samajwadi Party’s Amar Singh responding in kind.

“The whole country loves superstar Amitabh Bachchan. Even I admire him as an artiste. But when he got an opportunity to contest elections for the first time, he chose Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh over Mumbai. When it came to promoting a state as its brand ambassador, he chose Uttar Pradesh. When it came to acting in non-Hindi cinema, he chose Bhojpuri films,” Raj asked at a party meeting last evening.

The Shiv Sena rebel, who has been toeing his parent party’s Maharashtra-is-for-Maharashtrians line, added: “If such a big star is so fond of his home state, why can’t Raj Thackeray love his Maharashtra?”

Hours later, Amar dismissed the tirade as a publicity gimmick.

“He is taking the name of a big person for stunt. Neither is he a national leader, nor does he hold any constitutional post. By taking the name of Bachchan, he is popularising himself,” the Samajwadi leader, who calls the star his elder brother, told reporters.

A handful of Navnirman supporters stormed the news meet and began chanting slogans. As they were forced out, Amar brushed aside the interruption and continued with his spirited defence of north Indians in Mumbai.

“If they stop working, taxis in this city will stop. If they stop working, milk won’t be distributed and people will not find vegetables. They don’t need Raj Thackeray’s permission to come to Mumbai. The Constitution gives the right to citizens to earn a living anywhere in the country.”

Amar urged the state government to take cognisance of Raj’s comments.

State Congress chief Gurudas Kamat condemned Raj’s “disparaging” remarks. “We have urged chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and deputy chief minister R.R. Patil to take the strictest possible action against Thackeray,” he said.

Raj’s growing intolerance towards north Indians echoes the sentiments of uncle Bal Thackeray, from whose party he had split following differences with cousin Uddhav.

Raj ad earlier this week raised objections to Chhat puja celebrations in the city. It evoked sharp protests from north Indian leaders, including Lalu Prasad. Ram Vilas Paswan today demanded Raj’s arrest.

The nephew, however, found support in his estranged uncle’s party. Sena MP Sanjay Raut told news channels in Pune that his party agreed with Raj that as a Mumbaikar, Bachchan’s loyalties should lie with Maharashtra.

The Sena stand might surprise Bachchan, a close friend of the party boss. The actor had on January 19 launched a music album based on the poems of Thackeray’s grandson Aditya.

There was no reaction from Bachchan, who is shooting in snow-laden Shimla.

News Source : Samachar

PM daughter in Ramayan row

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayavati has asked the Prime Minister to ban a text recommended for Delhi University history students that allegedly contains objectionable references to characters in the Ramayan.

Mayavati made the written request to Manmohan Singh after the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the BJP’s student wing, protested in Delhi and Lucknow, claiming the contentious text was part of a book compiled by the Prime Minister’s daughter Upinder Singh.

Upinder Singh, a professor of ancient Indian history at DU, has, however, denied she had compiled the piece or recommended it to her students.

“I have absolutely nothing to do with this text. The contentious article is not written by me. Nor is there any book of mine which contains the article. I fail to understand why I am being linked to the text,” she told The Telegraph.

Sources close to Mayavati confirmed that the chief minister had not yet seen the “book”, but said her letter to the Prime Minister was motivated by concerns over law and order in her state.

The article — Three hundred Ramayanas: Five examples and three thoughts on translation — was written by the late scholar Attipat Krishnaswami Ramanujan in 1987.

The famous text — later used by several historians as reference — compares various versions of the Ramayan and the roles played by the main characters in the stories.

It has some references to Hanuman which the ABVP says are offensive. “This is a deliberate attempt to hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community,” said Niharika Sharma, the ABVP’s Delhi general secretary.

Asked why the ABVP was seeking a ban instead of allowing college students to debate the contents of a research publication, Sharma said the organisation was worried students would feel pressured to replicate Ramanujan’s version in their exam.

“If the article is taught, students will be expected to reproduce it in exams as well. In our education system, unless you write what is taught in class, you do not get marks. Hindu students will be forced to write something they do not believe in,” she said.

The ABVP has already sent memoranda to the DU vice-chancellor and the head of the history department seeking deletion of Ramanujan’s essay from the course.

“Upinder Singh has most definitely compiled a book with the objectionable text as a chapter. The book has not yet been published but we have a copy,” Sharma said.

The Prime Minister’s Office said there had been a misunderstanding as Upinder Singh’s name had been found in one copy of the text.

In Lucknow, Mayavati addressed reporters earlier in the day. “If it is true that the book contains distorted material, I am with the protesters.”

But a Mayavati aide sounded baffled by her reaction. “Mere apprehension of law and order getting out of hand cannot become the reason to seek a ban. We could have easily controlled the situation,” the aide said.

Political sources said Mayavati was afraid the BJP would use the text to whip up Hindu sentiments and resurrect memories of the Ram temple era.

“She is aware of the sentimental import the Ramayan has for Brahmins. Having weaned away Brahmin votes assiduously from the BJP, she doesn’t want to risk losing them so soon,” said a source.

News Source : Samachar

Akhil stuns Olympic silver medallist, bags gold

Akhil Kumar out-punched Olympic silver medallist Worapoj Pitchkoom to complete an all-conquering run at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers by clinching India's lone gold medal on Saturday.

The 27-year-old bantam weight pugilist, who yesterday became the second Indian after AL Lakra to qualify for the Beijing Olympics, drubbed the local favourite 21-11.

"It is certainly one of the most memorable wins of my career... right up there with the Commonwealth Games gold medal that I won in 2006," an ecstatic Akhil said.

Apart from Akhil's gold, India ended the tournament with a rich haul of three bronze medals through Amandeep Singh (48kg), Dinesh Kumar (81kg) and Manpreet Singh (91kg).

For Akhil, the triumph caps a fantastic comeback from a career-threatening wrist injury, which kept him out of action for more than half of 2007.

"It is indescribable, mind numbing ... I never thought that I would be able to come this far after that injury which had rendered my right hand useless for some time," he said.

"It took a surgery and months of rehabilitaion before I entered the ring again. Now that I have qualified for Beijing, it has given me fresh impetus."

The Indian stepped into the ring today with everything to win and hardly anything to lose.

Edgy to start with, Akhil trailed 3-4 in the first round before levelling the score 7-7 in the second and then going on a rampage to leave Petchkoom stunned by delivering powerful uppercuts and hooks.

Akhil established a 14-9 lead in the third round and scored eight more points -- against his opponent's three -- in the fourth and final round to emerge champion.

National coach G S Sandhu lavished praise on Akhil.

"It is a fantastic performance and I don't have words to describe how impressive Akhil was today... beating an Olympic medallist is a tremendous achievement."

"He was a bit nervous in the first round but calmed down soon and amazed everyone by going on the offensive in the last two rounds," Sandhu said.

News Source : Samachar

Aussies left with egg on face as abusive thrower targets Murali

Writing in The Times of India on Friday, Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene had commented, "As for off-field controversies, all I have to say is, the more India and Australia have a go at each other, the better it is for us. Our aim is to... concentrate solely on the cricket. Anything else is avoidable."

Jayawardene may have spoken too soon. Muttiah Muralitharan, the universally well-liked - except in Australia - record holder for most Test wickets finds himself embroiled in yet another controversy in a country that has given him plenty of grief.

Murali was subjected to verbal abuse and had eggs hurled at him on Friday night in Hobart as he and some other members of the Lankan contingent were returning to the team hotel from a restaurant. He was reportedly hit on his leg by an egg. As a result, the Lankan board has asked Cricket Australia to tighten security around the team.

Murali has frequently been at the receiving end from Australian umpires and jeering fans. The fact that he broke Aussie spinner Shane Warne’s record certainly won’t have improved his popularity Down Under.

"Muralitharan, along with one of the selectors and the team masseur, was walking when suddenly a car passed them and the guy starts abusing," a cricket website quoted a source close to the team as saying.

"He then came back a few more times and repeated this and suddenly he started throwing eggs in their direction. One landed on the back of the selector."

History of hostility

1995: Australian umpire Darrell Hair no-balls Murali for illegal action seven times in the Boxing Day Test match in Melbourne

1996: No-balled again for throwing by Aussie umpires Ross Emerson and Tony McQuillan in an ODI against West Indies in Brisbane. Crowds chant "no-ball" when he runs up to bowl

1999: Called for throwing by Emerson during an ODI against England. Arjuna Ranataguna briefly leads team off field

2004: Australia's then PM John Howard calls him a chucker. In protest, Murali refuses to join Lankan tour of Australia

2005/06: Agrees to travel Down Under as a thanksgiving gesture for Australia's response to the December 2004 tsunami but taunts continue. One spectator has 'no-ball' painted on his chest at a VB Series game in Perth.

News Source : Samachar

Dera incident: High alert in Haryana, Punjab; chaos on highway

Haryana and its neighbouring state Punjab have been put on high alert after a blast on the cavalcade of Dera Sacha Sauda chief in Karnal district on Saturday, with thousands of followers blocking the National Highway number one at different places.

"The state is put on high alert and we are monitoring the situation closely," Haryana's Home Secretary, KS Bhoria told PTI.

He said the Government was keeping a close watch on the Dera followers, who had gathered in strength and had blocked the national highway number one, near Karnal, Kurukshetra and Ambala after the incident.

Though, the sect chief, who was returning along with his followers after a appearing in a court in Ambala, escaped unhurt, 11 persons were injured in the incident.

It was complete choas on the highway as traffic had virtually come to a stand-still, with followers squatting on the roads. Long queues of vehicles were seen on both sides of the highway and commuters travelling to Punjab, Chandigarh and Delhi had been put to great inconvenience.

Heavy contingents of police, which were moved to the affected spots, were facing great difficulty in dispersing the followers, who were protesting against the alleged attack and were shouting slogans, police sources said in Chandigarh.

They said that the followers had at some places started their 'satsangs' along side the highway. The situation in Sirsa, the sect's headquartered was peaceful, Sirsa's Deputy Commissioner V Umashankar said.

News Source : Samachar

The world's richest man

MEXICO CITY—The Mexican tycoon who might just be the world's richest man almost never uses computers. Instead, Carlos Slim crunches numbers on a spreadsheet he created and has scrawled in a tattered notebook.
Through this data table, Slim determined that Babe Ruth was the greatest hitter ever. The obsessive scholar of baseball prefers the old days. His all-time top 10 includes no player of the past 50 years.

Slim prefers old movies, too, such as "El Cid," about a Spanish nobleman who became a heroic military leader and shook up society. In that era, "the good guys were good," Slim explained, "and the bad guys were bad."

Few alternate between the white and black hats more than Latin America's most powerful businessman. In a rare, two-hour interview the other day with the Tribune, he took time off from running his $60 billion empire to share his views on money, life and his legacy.

He wonders whether he will be remembered as the modern-day version of the tycoons who ran American monopolies during the Rockefeller era or as a philanthropist who promises to leave billions of dollars to help alleviate social problems.

Slim, 68, is virtually unknown in the U.S. but is a polarizing figure here. A recent book postulated that it is impossible for an ordinary Mexican to go 24 hours without putting money in his pocket.

Critics say his fortune was built through political favors, and that his telecommunications empire is one of several virtual monopolies that hold back the economy and are harmful to ordinary Mexicans because they keep prices high.

Depending on stock prices, Slim on some days is the world's richest man, jockeying with Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. That wealth can attract an unflattering spotlight, including an investigation by Mexican antitrust regulators announced last week. But he also has started to win praise throughout Latin America for building a new model of development-based philanthropy.

Slim said he cares little about the increased scrutiny or even the praise. Famously elusive, he gruffly protested as a photographer tried to take his picture during his interview, consenting only at the end.

"I think it is important to have a conscience at peace," he said. "Like they say, you are a bullfighter not for the public but for the bull."

The descendant of Lebanese immigrants, Slim says his father, a successful merchant, introduced him to money by giving him a book in which he tracked his savings account. By age 12 he bought his first stock—in Banco Nacional de Mexico—and began tracking the market.

An engineer who later taught algebra and linear programming in college, Slim says he is fascinated with numbers, which fuels his passion for baseball.

News Source : Samachar

girls don't cry

SHAISTA, LIKE so many children of this troubled valley, has seen blood at close quarters, been traumatised by the violence and has learnt to live with death and not knowing what tomorrow will bring.

Her elder brother Waseem and her grandmother were both victims of a terrorist attack on their village. Both died of bullet wounds. Shaista was only four then but still vividly remembers that time.

That, and the fact that her father was not around. "My father used to be away from home most of the time. I don't know where he would go to, I used to wonder why but never found out. He was never home," says Shaista.

One day he went away and never returned. Teenaged Fayaz, a neighbour, says people believe he either went over to "the other side" or that he will surface some day as a faceless name on a list of those presumed dead.

Shaista still hopes he will return, she would like to show him her skills with the stick, support her dreams. "If my father was there, maybe I would stand a better chance at moving elsewhere and pursuing hockey more seriously," she says. At this point though, looking around, it looks like she has an insurmountable challenge ahead.

And then her youngest brother pipes up. "Centre pe baaji ko koi nahin hara sakta (no one can get past my sister at the centre)," chirrups Faisal, Shaista's youngest brother, barely out of toddlerhood. Faisal, who already dreams of playing hockey too, clutches his sister proudly and mutters again with undoubted pride, "No one can take the ball away from her."

News Source : Samachar